Staple.



F. R. WHITE.

STAPLE.

APPLICATION FILED JAN19, 1911.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914..

1Iiiiiiiiiiillllllllllliiii H II] III! ATTORNEY FRANKLIN 3. WHITE, 01?WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT.

STAPLE.

Specification of Letters Batent.

Patented Sept. 8, 1914.

Application filed January 9, 1911. Serial No. 601,677.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, FRANKLIN R. WHITE, acitizen of the United States, and a resident of lVaterbury, in thecounty of New Haven and State of Connecticut, have made and inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Staples, of which the followingis a specification.

My invention relates to an improvement in staples, and more particularlyto thatclass of staples which are formed from blanks cut or punched fromsheet'metal, one of the objects being to so shape or form the blanksthat they may be cut or punched from metal without any waste thereof,thereby reducing the cost of manufacture.

Another object of my invention is to produce an article of this kindwhich shall be strong and eflicient in use, and which may be used as abutton fastener or for any other purpose or purposes for which similararticles are now employed.

lVith these and other ends in view, the invention consists in certainnovel features of construction, as will be hereinafter fully describedand pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of a strip ofmetal, showing the manner of cutting the blanks from which the staplesare made. Fig. 2 is a plan view of one of the blanks. Fig. 3 is a planview showing the staple in its first stage of formation. Fig. 3 is aplan view showing the staple in a die, preparatory to undergoing thenext operation. Fig. 4 is a view in elevation showing the staple in itsnext stage of formation. Fig. 5 is a view taken at right angles to Fig.4. Fig. 6 is an elevation of the finished staple, and Fig. 7 is a planview of the same.

The manner in which the blanks are cut is indicated in Fig. 1, in whichA represents a strip of sheet metal of the desired width, said stripbeing out along the parallel inclined lines B, by any suitable means,thus forming the blanks C, said blanks being substantially diamond orlozenge shaped, as shown in Fig. 2. By forming the blank in this manner,as described, it will be seen that all of the metal contained in thestrip will be utilized. After the blank has been cut, the ends thereofare subjected to pressure by any suitable means, whereby the metalcontained in said ends is pressed or crowded together to form two prongsD, the prongs being rounded and their extreme ends pointed to therebyprovide prongs, tapering or cone-shaped in form, by a single operation,the central portion E of the blank remaining substantially unchanged inshape, as is shown in Fig. 3. The blank is then placed in a die F,provided with a circular recess G adapted to receive the central portionE of the blank, and recesses H, communicating with said circular recessand adapted to receive the prongs D, as clearly shown in Fig. 3 Thecentral portion E is then subjected to pressure in any suitable manner,as for example, by striking the same, whereby the stock or metal ofwhich it is composed will be forced outagainst the edge of the circularrecess G, thus giving to said central portion a rounded configuration.

In the next stage of its formation, the blank is bent into the formshown in Figs. 4: and 5, the prongs D extending upward substantiallyparallel to each other, and the central portion E being curved slightlyas shown.

The next and final step consists in flattening or straightening thecurved central portion and simultaneously rounding and smoothing theedges thereof, whereby to form the head of the staple inits finished orcompleted condition, the completed article being clearly shown in Figs.6 and 7.

It will be seen from the above description that staples consisting ofbut one piece of metal may be constructed, which will be very cheap tomanufacture, and which will be strong, durable and capable of use forall purposes for which similar staples are employed, and in themanufacture of which I avoid any waste or loss of material from whichthey are made.

My improved staple is especially adapted for the purpose of securingbuttons having an imperforate base to a garment. In such cases the baseof the button has to be pierced by the points of the prongs in the actof securing the button in place, and an excess of strength is necessaryin the prongs in order that they may have sufficient strength to supportthe point while it is being driven through the imperforate base of thebutton. This strength secured in my improved staple by making the prongsconical as explained, and prongs are thereby procured which will not bebent in the act of driving the same through an imperforate base button,which is a feature of marked advantage over staples having cylindricalprongs such as comprising a head of a single thickness of metal, and twotapering cone-shaped prongs extending at an angle from said head, thediameter of said prongs at their bases being greater than the thicknessof the blank from which the staple is formed, substantially asdescribed.

2. A staple made from a blank of sheet metal and comprising a headportion the thickness oi which corresponds with. the

thickness of the blank, and two cone-shaped prongs extending at an anglefrom said head portion, the diameter of said prongs at their bases beinggreater than the thickness of the head portion of the staple, substantially as described.

3. A staple made from a blank of sheet metal having the shape of alozenge, and comprising a rounded head portion, the thickness of whichis equal to the thickness of the blank, and two tapering cone-shapedprongs extending at an angle from said head portion, the diameter ofsaid prongs at their bases being greater than the thickness of the blankfrom which the staple is formed, snbstantially as described.

Signed at l/Vaterbury, in the county oi New Haven and State of?Connecticut, this fifth day of January A. D. 1911.

FRANKLIN It. WHITE.

Witnesses EDNA h IAY IIEALEY, KATHARINE A. Runny.

flopies 01' this patent may be obtained for five cents each, byaddressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, I). G.

